RECORD EDITORIAL: Is inmate labor slavery? Your take

Thursday

Feb 14, 2019 at 2:01 AM

Feb. 8 we published an editorial centered on Gainesville’s recent vote to end contracts with Florida’s Department of Corrections for prison labor on municipal projects. One commissioner called it slavery. Florida State Prisons do not pay prisoners for their labor, and the hundreds of agencies, cities and counties get cheap labor. We asked, “What do you think.” What follows are some answers.

• How ironic. We were just discussing inmate labor the other day. I have had the experience of working with people on both sides of the bars. I worked for a state agency in another state, and we had prisoners come out all the time. They loved being outdoors and away from the prison.

Their only complaint with our prison program was that there was a set ratio of Corrections Officers (COs) to prisoners when doing outside jobs. Sometimes that number could not be met as there were not enough COs to go around on a particular day. That was a shame, as the guys really enjoyed helping and working alongside us.

The prisoners also got paid for doing tasks outside the prison and at the prison, like working in the laundry, preparing/serving food in their public cafeteria or reupholstering furniture for the Governor's mansion. When they were outside, they were cleaning up road trash, helping plant vegetation, constructing park buildings, and, in my case, helping us do archaeology. It was not a great deal of money, but it was enough to buy chocolate bars and other things, like cigarettes at that time. Some of the items were personally consumed, while other things were used for bartering within their own society.

But in no way did these guys feel it was "slavery." They had their choice to participate or not, to get out in the open air, have people to talk with, learn something (a potential trade?) and get a little money in their pockets.

— J.A. Fittipaldi, Treasure Beach

• Good editorial on inmate labor. The one question unanswered for me is the inmates’ feelings about the situation of getting outside to work. Having quickly toured our local jail with a group of interested citizens, we were all anxious to get out after only a few minutes inside. It’s clean, supplies the basic needs and functions as a jail should, but it has artificial light and air, monotonous periods of inactivity, very close proximity to others without choice, total loss of freedom, etc.

It’s a jail. My exposure to outside inmates is seeing them cleaning trash on the 312 bridge, cleaning swales or ditches and sometimes minor road work. Forget the economics of “free” labor. Do inmates consider this “slave labor?” Are inmates instead interested in getting outside for a few hours, away from the inside routine? Do inmates gladly exchange the inside regimentation for some outside time? Do they desire this work? Is this “free” labor a benefit to all?

— Dave Rounds, St. Augustine

• 100 percent agree inmates should work to pay back the cost of their incarceration. We are all paying to house these people who have broken the law. People who refuse to cooperate with society in a basic simple manner are like selfish children who have to be taught to act with respect for others. There is a cost for this.

Everyone should pay their own way in this life. Prisoners could be given a choice however. We could either give them credit for their days work or they could pay the $55 a day it cost to keep them incarcerated.

To expect the main people responsible for this cost to chip in and pay some of the cost to house them is certainly more than reasonable. And anyone who thinks otherwise is not to be taken seriously.

There will always be people who complain and are offended by what is true and real. It is our duty as citizens to stand up against their misguided feelings and stand for what is right.

Our entire country is reeling from this kind of misguided stupidity. Thanks for your clarity of thought.

— Carter Lord, St. Augustine

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.